A Fresh Start

 Here's the story on this rug...

I hadn't felt like hooking in ages

oh, I could do one here or there for an animal shelter auction

then even that became too exhausting

yes, the depression had sunk into my bones

I went to work

came home and looked at the walls

repeat nearly endlessly

then my formerly hooker now quilter

friend Jacque offered up a rug/wool to me

for the price of shipping

she had started it

 knew she didn't want to finish

don't even ask the size

but it's a large rug

it wasn't my style or colors

yet how could I resist

she basically had the center star and a small part

of the background completed

I went way off the rails

according to the drawn pattern

but boy did I have fun

I hooked and hooked

falling in love with hooking again

will I finish it or will I cannibalize the wool

and use the linen for a different rug

time will tell

Found this image on Pinterest

from a Lexana hook in

Stars and Fans

by Pine Island Primitives

More Happy Colors

a little washed out by the flash

love how this is hooking up

I NEED more of that old blue

used for the basket...

finishing up the beach room mat for Debbie

going to drag myself to work today

would rather be hooking

will be okay

when I get there...

Beach Room Rug

for some reason

this simple little mat for Debbie's beach room

has been a real struggle

think I finally found the right idea

all done but the pressing

it will be auctioned off online instead of raffled

if anyone is interested please let me know

Mango on a Mission

will start it on Friday

I will be sharing the pattern on this blog

sooner or later

did not keep the paper in my recent destash 

so need to redraw

Olivia rarely gets to sit in the front window

watching the birds and squirrels at the feeder

with Melrose sleeping in a different room

she took full advantage...

A visit to my family doctor yesterday

more good news...

down 32 pounds in 4 weeks...

decrease in my blood pressure medicine

Am going to switch to weighing much less often

concentrate on non scale victories

cleaning out clothes that are too big

Have a great Wednesday!

We have sun again in Ohio

until tomorrow...

Strawberry Love

 all photos from Pinterest

you think I'd be tired of strawberries

I've eaten so many this week...

 haven't stitched any in ages

that's about to change

Olivia loves to carry them around and bunny kick them

so first up

wool strawberries for cats

do you have a favorite strawberry shape?

 

 

 did you notice the one

with pennies...

 

okay

not a strawberry

but isn't it a sweet old pincushion...

*****

so 

time passes...missing mom doesn't

I'm mostly still puttering around

cleaning 

filling boxes and bags for various charity donations

packing up the Fidget Mat unfinished pieces

all the supplies...

my coworker Misty and her church

The Salvation Army

do a lot of elder outreach their area

she assures me the children and women

will just love to get their hands on these goods

they regularly make little treasures

for the children to deliver to residents at local nursing homes

making everyone's day!

much better than sitting in my sewing room

Misty is one of my favorite coworkers...

favorite people

sometimes you get lucky

meeting a special soul

Happy Saturday

ugh, work...

 

 

"Some Day" Hooking

fell in love with this rug found on Pinterest

this one too

then I saw this one

which led to other nautical folk art

like this beauty

any would make a fine rug

now on my to do list

or better yet

a little from each one...

I am slowly hooking on my Magdelina style rug

gathering items for the church rummage sale

is still taking up most of my free time

drop off day is tomorrow

for the first load

Tuesday for the next

then I can move on from decluttering for a while

except for the weeds

which are growing like crazy

everywhere I look!

*****

so many of our friends need our prayers right now

I am praying for strength of spirit,

healing and peace in our journey

Yesterday

NC sister has been sharing some photos

that she must have snagged years ago...

Mom and Grandma 

I never knew Mom was a candy striper

late 30's or early 40's

 

 Deb had a lot of foot problems when she was born

her little legs are in casts...

1952/3

a better day yesterday

not so medicated

working on our new garden puzzle

maybe today she'll let me do her hair!

nice Mary is to her right

she always cries in the afternoon

she has been so worried about Mom

they hold hands

 planning on heading home any day now

at the end of the table is Dorothy

she's 100 and 5 months

she was on a tear yesterday

cracking up at everything

asking for a new Cadillac, any color would do

thank you so much for your kind words, support and prayers

it all means more than you can ever know

 

 

Card Avalanche!

looking for something to display

 all of Mom's cards on

you've made her day

with all the wonderful cards

from design to your sweet words

she is enjoying them all

we talk about where you are from

wishing we could give you each a hug

my NC and her dh are safe at home

my local sister is having some

elective surgery tomorrow 

so she won't be around for about a week

we'll be good

mom is getting better every day

aside from that "nasty water"

 that makes her growly

*****

I have the desire to hook (!!!)

but no time

a workman will be here tomorrow

to get my wall heater working in my family room

so cleaning is on the agenda

before seeing mom and going to work today

I know, I know

always bragging about my glamorous and exciting life

hey, it's who I am

love and hugs my friends

 

Thankful

thank you dear friends

for being online

you are a lifeline to me

through times where my "real" life is hard

someone to share a creative life with

everyone I'd like to meet in person

I've been pretty quiet this year

busy with Mom 

worn out mentally some of the time

physically always 

every day at least one of you lifts me up

with your posts 

on your blog, on Facebook or by email

thank you for sharing your life with me

I'm so glad to know you

even if only online

of course

there are so many of you I want to see in person...

I have so many blessings

thank you for being one of them

 

Another 2 Cats Mat

another simple one

to empty out the worm baskets

can anyone recommend a simple

dog themed antique rug

to inspire my hooking?

I'm going to hook a little mat for a fund raiser

it's just that I can't draw a dog!

thanks in advance for your help...

Mighty Little Progress

hooking is slow going

as I sort through my worms and stash of blues

not too much light to medium blue left anywhere

 same for the greens

until now I dyed mostly dark and drab

I purchased as-is wool the same

thankfully I do have a stash of lights for over dyeing

after this mat

it's back to the chair pads...

where the darks can be put to good use

the reason I have such a huge stash of worms is Mom

in case you're new to my blog

last year 

I cut what felt like acres of wool into strips

then took them to the nursing facilty

so she and a friend could bundle them up by color

leading to a full size bed stacked with strips

referred to as Wool Mountain

I found it quite difficult to hook from that mountain

needing to see the wool uncut

to know where it belonged in a rug

live and learn

all is well because Mom and Ann 

had a good time for many weeks

 

different shades of reds to divide

a favorite photo from 10/15

Ann is always concerned about getting it just right

mom is more like "close enough"

I haven't been sleeping much lately 

worried about mom and her meds

they are being changed to try and quash some of her anxiety

I know if she keeps acting out

(like going outside on her own and kicking doors)

they will want to transfer her to their Alzhiemer facility

 she thinks it's bad now...

A Little Hooking

a little progress

work sure cut into my hooking time

the past few days

even though this is a worm buster rug

I'm going to go through my over dyed blues

and cut a few more strips...

I am very much enjoying the colors in this mat

they may be the future of my hooking

once all my "darks" are used up

thinking a mix of Karen Kahle over dyed recipes

with as-is light to mediums

*****

thanks for all your kind posts and emails

it's been such a rough week with Mom

left her today in tears

she asked me to throw her in front of a train

the nursing supervisor got ahold of the psych care company

after my repeated complaints

they are now trying her on a different anti anxiety med

I voiced my concern

since when it was prescribed for me it

shot my anxiety and heart rate through the roof

but her current meds are clearly not working

I'm sure the heat and full moon aren't helping

different aides every day this week

some nice, some impatient

she is sad, angry and bored

all she wants is to go home

there is no explaining

that the home she wants only exists in her memory

   

I Can Explain

not exactly the rug you thought I'd be hooking...

when looking through my pile of "scrap" linen

this long narrow piece spoke to me

so here I am

hooking another piece for a beach room

I've been wanting to hook an angel or hearts for Debbie

it's fun to work with these colors

after the dark ones of late

the cat will be hooked sometime

it's a favorite

  

she is so over having her picture taken

she is ready to be brushed

or fed

Took the day off from visiting Mom

she was very angry with me yesterday for not taking her home

she was fine until after bingo

some days I can handle it

lately it's become so much harder

I nearly burst into tears yesterday

which only makes her madder

so today is a mental health day

it's not really working

anxiety and guilt eat away at me...

what my mind knows

is so different from what my heart feels

 

Chair Pad 3

this one needs something

maybe some gold in the star

the heart was just a doodle

it won't be hooked....

next on the frame will be something for me

Chair Pad 2 Progress

 

I hope you like red Debbie!

tried a dark mix background and it didn't work

 I think this one does

if you click on the pics

you can see I'm a pretty wonky hooker

always have been 

always will be

this probably stems from when I was 

learning to hook at Barb Carroll's...

one of the ladies had to have everything perfect

she was hooking prim designs

with Barb's excellent color planning

but each rug looked like it was machine made

 from then on 

I concentrated on color and not loops

there's nothing wrong with perfect hooking

it's just not me

soon I'll be ready for #3

green star maybe... 

I have to mention my Talon frame

it has absolutely spoiled me

I tried to hook a little something on my small

well loved and used frame

nope 

now I have to stitch some small designs together

so the linen will stretch across the large Talon

love it!

 

 

In Progress

  chair pad one

sort of trial and error

drawn over another abandoned rug

think more color is needed on the next...

Debbie

what do you think

Up Next: Chair Pads

 image from Pinterest

when my friend Debbie

woolnsails

said she was going to hook some chair pads

I volunteered to make them

with so many worms cut

in just the colors she was planning

I knew it would be a fun project

after a little discussion about scrappy and hit-n-miss

 image from Pinterest

we came to a meeting of the minds

I think...

going to start today

her colors are red, gold, blue, green and black

 each pad will have a different colored star

hoping tomorrow I'll have some work in progress to share 

 

And I'm Hooked Again

there are no words for how much I love my Talon Frame!

I purchased the large floor frame

hooking are 12 x 27

 



 

 

pretty happy with how it's turning out

Debbie ...

do you think this will fit in your new room somewhere?

sure hope so

 

 

 

sorry about the blur

Melrose is clinging to some of the last wool on the bed

I've moved it back to baskets, sorted by color

easier to hook with

 

 this guy misses sleeping on wool mountain

even if he has a blast attacking wool strips

under the frame

 

when I have a hooking slump

it's usually a geometric that gets me hooking again

 

these fun colors for Debbie's beach room helped too!

It's All About Teddy

One of the girls I work with

found her best friend a few months ago

his name is Teddy

he's 11 months old

and an absolute joy!

he has to "hold hands"

when watching TV

last week she brought home

a friend for Teddy

because he loves to play

with any dog he meets

Oliver

who is mostly called the baby

or little brother

or Ollie

is 10 weeks old

it was love at first sight

when Teddy went to meet the puppies

and help choose his BBF

he played for hours

with all 5 puppies

before heading home together

it looks like a match made in heaven

for my friend and her pups

~~~~~

From Kathy to Rebecca

another wonderful swap package

in our AAPG 3rd anniversary exchange

~~~

this is what

Rebecca received from Kathy

Rebecca loves neutrals and birds



I'd say Kathy did
a tremendous job!

Mailbox Overflow

Swap Goodies

plus RAK's from Sharon

(our 3rd anniversary swap in AAPG)

this shot includes the stapler and staples...

gave me a total fit of laughter

when I was getting my latest booklets

together I couldn't find my good stapler

then broke the little cheap one

so ended up making do with paper clips

without the stapler!

lots of wool, floss and some sweet muslin from Moda

plus a piece of coverlet

( I saw it - shared on eBay about it...

someone bought it first)

the three ornies are perfection...

again

many thanks Sharon

this was a total surprise

from Doris

using a Primitive Bettys pattern

since the heat has really gotten to me

this summer I've been praying

for some snow...

Doris did the next best thing

thanks a bunch Doris...

I'm putting it in the sewing room

on the design wall so

I can think cool thoughts...

~~As for the cats~~

the other day Olivia was minding

her own business

checking out the vent to see

if she could wish some colder air

out of it

along comes Melrose

a little tussle ensues

with his fur ending up all

over the floor again

do you like how he's trying

to look cool and blameless

Olivia heads for cover

under the safest spot in the living room

as you can tell from the fur

on the floor in front of her

Melrose is always getting a smack

(don't feel bad for him

he's asking for it where she's concerned)